The invention is concerned with the preparation and purification of fatty acids. Fatty acids are aliphatic monocarboxylic acids which are commonly derived from animal and vegetable sources. As well as being a source of energy, fatty acids play many other key roles in the body. They can help to regulate healthy lipid levels, and are involved in inflammatory responses. They are also important in the blood, regulating clotting and blood pressure.
A number of fatty acids can be synthesised by the body in vivo. However some, designated “essential fatty acids”, cannot. Essential fatty acids include the short chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (SC-PUFAs) linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, as well as long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) which can be prepared from these SC-PUFAs. These two categories are generally split into two further categories, the ω-3 (or “Omega 3”) fatty acids, and the ω-6 (or “Omega 6”) fatty acids. Representative LC-PUFAs include the ω-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and the ω-6 fatty acids gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) and arachidonic acid (AA).
As essential fatty acids cannot be synthesised by the body in vivo they must be provided by diet. There is therefore a need to develop and improve processes and techniques for isolating and purifying these essential fatty acids. There is also a need to develop and improve processes for converting essential fatty acids into other fatty acids, in order to provide a wide range of compounds and supplements necessary to meet the requirements of individuals. Further, a number of PUFA products are needed in purified form as they are pharmaceutically active.
Novel processes for purifying fatty acids have now been found which can lead to simplified production and/or increased purity and/or easier scale-up of process. The novel purification processes can be used in isolation on a prepared fatty acid, or can be incorporated into a longer process for the preparation of said fatty acid. These processes help to remove non-acidic impurities from the fatty acids.